new STR furnishing and assembly tips

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new STR furnishing and assembly tips

Pranav Parikh
Member since 2021 · 8 posts · 7 votes

Hi everyone, I am new to STRs and will be closing on a property this week. I am trying to research the most efficient ways to have an airbnb property furnished and ready to go remotely (different state). Love to see what others have done, and if there are certain high value services that can help with this in a budget friendly way. 

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Michael BaumPro Member
Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
2y

This is always a tough thing for me @Pranav Parikh. It ain't easy to fully setup and furnish a STR from a long distance. It will be more expensive for sure.

There are some places you can get some deals on things delivered but they are often not the best quality.

You might look at hiring a designer that is local to help out.

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  • Michael BaumPro Member
    Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    2y

    This is always a tough thing for me @Pranav Parikh. It ain't easy to fully setup and furnish a STR from a long distance. It will be more expensive for sure.

    There are some places you can get some deals on things delivered but they are often not the best quality.

    You might look at hiring a designer that is local to help out.

    2Reply
  • Account Closed
    Investor · FL · Member since 2016 · 332 posts · 388 votes
    2y

    If it is in a true vacation market most furniture companies will come deliver and setup.  As mentioned above you can get a designer to decorate.  Even when you do this you will regret not coming yourself to go over everything.  Look at it this way you are opening a new $400k to $2.5M business location and you are going to let it open for business without coming in to go over everything.  You need someone to setup the wifi password and connect the remote lock. If you are self managing you need to know where all the GFIs are and where the breakers are. I personally like to stay in mine for 3 days atleast while I setup to know my properties more intimately and to work out the bugs which would be problems for guests. A common issue in the smokies log cabins is no caulking at the outside base of the tub/shower and along the bathroom base boards. So many owners get calls from guests of water pouring from the cieling below the bathroom into kitchens or gamerooms and it is from guests kids showering with water pouring out getting all over the floor and coming down below.  This is just one of many issues you could prevent with boots on ground for 72hrs. We order furniture from Costco and Sam's Club as they will use a shipping company that will schedule delivery for when we are on site.  We even had the shipping company held it for three weeks due to construction running behind time. 

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  • Andrew SteffensBusiness Member
    Tampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    2y

    Where is the property located?

    I would try to find a designer specializing in STR. You can also hire virtual companies to design, you order, and hire labor to assemble according to spec.

    Best of luck!

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  • Peter StewartBusiness Member
    Real Estate Broker · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2018 · 160 posts · 168 votes
    2y

    Any good PM in your area that specializes in STR's should have connections to people/companies that can handle all that for you.

    I personally have multiple STR's that are out of state and I had to furnish several of them. In fact, I just got done with one in FL 2 weeks ago and put it live on Airbnb over the weekend. I had to drive down to the property 2x to get everything done myself. Maybe not the most economical from a time perspective, but it was from a $$ perspective. And like @Account Closed stated, being there in person and staying for a few days gives you intimate knowledge of the property so you can work out any kinks, and it's much easier to answer guest questions, diagnose and solve problems, etc, when you personally know the property inside and out. And, when you do all of this stuff yourself, it makes it SO much easier to put an inventory list together so you have information on everything in the property (where you bought it, price, SKU #'s, etc) so when something breaks, needs repair, needs replacement, etc, it's that much easier to handle. 

    For furniture I went to a local store with a location in this area (I am in Carmel, IN and the properties referenced are both in Destin, FL - Havertys is in both). I picked out what I wanted and set up the delivery dates. For the first property I did, I had someone in the building meet the deliverymen and paid them a small fee for their time. For the 2nd one, I timed it so I was down there for the delivery.

    For decor and all the misc stuff, it was a combo of ordering what I needed online (Amazon, Wayfair, etc) to my personal residence, and then I drove everything down there. For anything I was missing, I would go to the local shops. Between Target, Walmart, Hobby Lobby, and Home Depot I was able to get all the remaining items needed. 

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  • Luka Milicevic
    Real Estate Agent · Nashville, TN · Member since 2015 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    2y

    @Pranav Parikh speaking from experience having had many clients set up an STR remotely - based in CA and setting one up in Nashville.

    First thing to do would be to contact your boots on the ground for a referral. Get a recommendation for someone that does this sort of thing...there are many.

    The most success that my buyers have had was to get a local designer that does the design + install and set up. 

    There is no "cheap" way to do this sort of thing. They charge a bunch to get everything designed, delivered and set up. 

    I have had a client fly in for a week, order everything on Amazon and then set it up over the course of the week. 

    1Reply
  • Jeremy Jareckyj
    Real Estate Agent · Salt Lake City, UT · Member since 2020 · 490 posts · 205 votes
    2y

    Yeah if you can find a local host/PM in the area, they usually have affordable handyman they can recommend to you to use to assemble furniture. 

    1Reply
  • Pranav Parikh
    OP
    Member since 2021 · 8 posts · 7 votes
    2y
    Quote from @Luka Milicevic:

    @Pranav Parikh speaking from experience having had many clients set up an STR remotely - based in CA and setting one up in Nashville.

    First thing to do would be to contact your boots on the ground for a referral. Get a recommendation for someone that does this sort of thing...there are many.

    The most success that my buyers have had was to get a local designer that does the design + install and set up. 

    There is no "cheap" way to do this sort of thing. They charge a bunch to get everything designed, delivered and set up. 

    I have had a client fly in for a week, order everything on Amazon and then set it up over the course of the week. 


     this was exactly what i was thinking. I live about 3.5hr away but have a full time job, kids, and other commitments that make DIY challenging. 

    2Reply
  • Pranav Parikh
    OP
    Member since 2021 · 8 posts · 7 votes
    2y
    Quote from @Andrew Steffens:

    Where is the property located?

    I would try to find a designer specializing in STR. You can also hire virtual companies to design, you order, and hire labor to assemble according to spec.

    Best of luck!

    Hi Andrew, I'm in the Asheville market. Live about 3.5 hrs away. do you know of any virtual companies off hand? I'd imagine you need to know the exact dimensions of all the spaces

    1Reply
  • Andrew SteffensBusiness Member
    Tampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    2y
    Quote from @Pranav Parikh:
    Quote from @Andrew Steffens:

    Where is the property located?

    I would try to find a designer specializing in STR. You can also hire virtual companies to design, you order, and hire labor to assemble according to spec.

    Best of luck!

    Hi Andrew, I'm in the Asheville market. Live about 3.5 hrs away. do you know of any virtual companies off hand? I'd imagine you need to know the exact dimensions of all the spaces


     Im sorry the only nationwide company I knew of was bongostays but they did a horrific job.  I think they rebranded now as something else, definitely beware of them.  Their prices are starting at $995.  Maybe see if you have a dwell in your local market?

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  • Mitch Davidson
    Lender · Asheville, NC · Member since 2020 · 463 posts · 507 votes
    2y

    @Pranav Parikh, @Eric Krause is your guy. He manages 8 or so STR's here, and has setup and furnished many himself. He can also intro you to good vendors for maintenance and such. I'll message you his contact info.

    1Reply
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